According to The Telegraph, Cheryshev is ‘being probed by Spanish anti-doping chiefs, having already been interviewed by their Russian counterparts’.

The newspaper explains the allegations stem from his father Dmitri telling Sport Weekend he had received an injection containing ‘growth hormone’ while he was recovering from an injury in the build-up to the World Cup.

However, the Russian Football Union (RFU) and Sport Weekend insist Cheryshev was referring to a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection, which is perfectly legal.

The 27-year-old has spent his entire playing career in Spain with Sporting Gijon, Burgos, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Villarreal and Valencia.

He re-joined Los Che on the back of his exploits at the World Cup, his four goals helping Russia eliminate Spain in the last 16 and reach the quarter-finals.

The Telegraph concludes by warning the use of growth hormone without a medical exemption is punishable with a ban of up to four years.